Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural Resources releases Upper Hunter Strategic Assessment of Coal Mining Potential Report

摘要

On Tuesday 8 March 2005, DIPNR presented to key stakeholders the outcomes of a strategic assessment on the potential and constraints for coal mining in the Upper Hunter Valley. The report has examined coal mining potential in the area between Aberdeen and Murrurundi, including the area of the current Bickham coal mine proposal southeast of Blandford. Because of the potential impacts of mining at Bickham, the assessment has focused on potential impacts of coal mining on natural resource values, particularly the water resource values and associated conservation values of the Pages River. The study has confirmed the importance of the Pages River to both the environment and other water users and identified the key water resources issues associated with mining at Bickham. These are: will mine pit de-watering lead to an inflow of saline groundwater from the surrounding region, and is the Pages River connected to hard rock aquifers near the proposed mine site?